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eviesellers's review against another edition
1.0
this woman has a nobel prize in literature and yet wrote a near-unreadable book.
the prose within these pages is almost purposefully confusing, and assumes that the reader can make sense of her obtuse descriptions. it's frankly dreadful to read.
also, not to be a cat shamer or whatever, but this woman is a terrible cat owner. the first chunk of the book is about her family's farm in africa, where her parents would KILL A BUNCH OF WILD CATS. i understand the necessity of this within a farm setting, but WHY would you open a book about your love for cats and the relationship between humans and cats with a cat massacre. from here, she lets her own cats go outdoors and borderline refuses to have them spayed, both of which are harmful for the cats and the larger environment. she literally killed four perfectly healthy kittens from one of her cats' litter of six in order to make it more "manageable". WHAT.
what seemed like it was going to be a cute collection of stories about lessing's life surrounded by cats ended up being a paragon of irresponsible pet ownership that was boring at best and horrifying at worst.
the prose within these pages is almost purposefully confusing, and assumes that the reader can make sense of her obtuse descriptions. it's frankly dreadful to read.
also, not to be a cat shamer or whatever, but this woman is a terrible cat owner. the first chunk of the book is about her family's farm in africa, where her parents would KILL A BUNCH OF WILD CATS. i understand the necessity of this within a farm setting, but WHY would you open a book about your love for cats and the relationship between humans and cats with a cat massacre. from here, she lets her own cats go outdoors and borderline refuses to have them spayed, both of which are harmful for the cats and the larger environment. she literally killed four perfectly healthy kittens from one of her cats' litter of six in order to make it more "manageable". WHAT.
what seemed like it was going to be a cute collection of stories about lessing's life surrounded by cats ended up being a paragon of irresponsible pet ownership that was boring at best and horrifying at worst.
gabrielrobartes's review against another edition
5.0
The thing is, it's a short 5* read if you love cats and Doris Lessing. The rest of you have already stopped reading.
Kindle readers note - this book is MUCH shorter than it looks. Two thirds of it is padded out with samples of other Doris Lessing novels.
Kindle readers note - this book is MUCH shorter than it looks. Two thirds of it is padded out with samples of other Doris Lessing novels.
callmejoce's review against another edition
4.0
Charming & wonderful. I love cat people (You likely have to be a cat person to really enjoy this book)
ecka2's review against another edition
3.0
http://frokenchristina.blogspot.se/2014/02/katter-av-doris-lessing.html
fantastiskfiktion's review against another edition
4.0
http://fantastiskfiktion.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/tema-katter/
ghostofchristmaspast's review against another edition
4.0
Lessing is wholly unsentimental and pragmatic in her musings of cats past, but still effectively demonstrates a strong love for them. It's a wholly refreshing take on cat literature, which I find can be sappy and devoid of much depth. Lessing does anthropomorphise her cats' emotions somewhat, but if you've ever owned a cat you'll know exactly what she's talking about. The book is equal parts brutal and partisan, and it works wonderfully.
mimima's review against another edition
3.0
I expected a gentle reminiscence of cats in Lessings' life, not this parade of feline sex, murder, and dastardly behavior. Wow.
The last stories were much sweeter and fun but I felt I'd been put through the wringer beforehand.
The last stories were much sweeter and fun but I felt I'd been put through the wringer beforehand.